PARENTS CAN'T BRING PARALYZED SON HOME

Jerome Bongyor, paralyzed from the chin down after a traffic accident, is ready to leave Tampa General Hospital. He can't, however, because his parents can't afford the equipment needed at home and the training needed to operate it.

The 7-year-old St. Petersburg boy's spinal cord was permanently damaged March 20 when he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle home from school.

He spent three weeks at All Children's Hospital in St. Peterburg before being moved to Tampa General's rehabilitation program so he could qualify for state medical assistance.

Tuesday, as he sat in a wheelchair, his mother pleaded for financial help from the public.

"He's very, very scared," said his mother, Annette Moffat. "If anyone just touches his respirator, he panics."

Doctors said the boy will need a respirator, a bed with special controls and a special wheelchair before he can go home.

He also will need extensive training in operating the bed and wheelchair and will require 24-hour care because he cannot cough on his own.

"He will never again be able to walk or feed himself," said Dr. V.I. Batas. "He will always be on a respirator and he will need nursing care for the rest of his life."

The boy's father has a $5-an-hour job changing tires, and his mother works at Largo Medical Center. She discovered after the accident that her health insurance had not taken effect.

Moffat said the home equipment will cost more than $50,000, the nursing care will cost $100,000 a year and his training will cost $30,000.

"He can go home as soon as we get the necessary equipment and he's rehabilitated," she said.

She said his medical expenses already exceed $50,000.

The family has received some financial assistance and a trust fund has been created for Jerome.

Children's Medical Services, a state government operation that helps youngsters with chronic diseases of injuries, will cover the Tampa General expenses, and Medicaid will pay expenses for 45 days each year.

In addition, because Flordia law allows bicycle riders to be considered pedestrians, the family's car insurance policy covered $50,000 in expenses, according to attorney Robert Carr.

Officials in charge of the Jerome Bongyor Trust Fund at First Federal of Largo in St. Petersburg, said Tuesday $36,500 had been collected.